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Ministry of Rural Development
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Key Initiatives and Achievements of Ministry of Rural Development during the year 2021
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission  has its footprints in 6769 blocks of 706 districts in 30 states and 6 UTs. It has mobilised a total of 8.01 Crore women from poor and vulnerable communities into 73.19 lakhs SHGs
A total of 39.17 lakh candidates have been trained under RSETIs in 64 courses and 27.34 lakh candidates settled in either self-employment or wage employment till November, 2021.
Around 3.06 lakh candidates have trained under the programme between 01.01.2021 and 30.11.2021, while 1.88 lakh candidates have been settled
During FY 2021-22, a total of 23,186 candidates have been trained and 22,067 candidates have been placed till 30.11.2021 under DDU-GKY programme
Under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin  a total of 2.15 Crore houses have been sanctioned and 1.68 Crore houses have been completed. Against the total target of completion of 44.09 lakh houses in the FY 2021-22, a total of 31 lakh houses has been completed till 27th December 2021
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission 
- Launched in 2011, the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission  aims at mobilizing about 9-10 crore rural poor households into Self Help Groups  in a phased manner and provide them long-term support such that they diversify their livelihoods, improve their incomes and quality of life.
As on 30th November 2021, Mission has its footprints in 6769 blocks of 706 districts in 30 states and 6 UTs. It has mobilised a total of 8.01 Crore women from poor and vulnerable communities into 73.19 lakhs SHGs and formed 4,24,189 Village organisation and 32,406 CLFs. In the current year, 248 blocks have been covered with the mobilization of 41.02 lakh households into 3.81 lakh SHGs.
These community institutions have been provided Capitalization Support fund in the form of Revolving Fund  and Community Investment Fund  to the tune of Rs 15,661.13 Crore. In the current FY, Rs. 2241.90 Crore have been provided as RF and CIF.
Around 3.5 lakhs community resource persons  have been developed for providing capacity building and technical support to community institutions.
DAY NRLM has been able to facilitate a total of Rs. 4.35 lakh crore of Bank Loan to the SHGs from April 2013 till 30th November, 2021. The Non-performing Assets  is just 2.57% which shows the remarkable repayments culture in the SHG members under DAY-NRLM and also the confidence of women in the program. To provide last mile delivery of financial services, 55079 SHG members have been deployed as BC Sakhi . The BC Sakhi provide last mile financial services including deposit, credit, remittance, disbursement of pensions & scholarships, payment of MGNREGA wages and enrollment under insurance and pension schemes.
On Livelihood front, 1.44 crore Mahila Kisans have been covered under DAY- NRLM, out of which 30 lakh have been covered in the current Financial Year. A total of 182 Producer Enterprises/Farmer Producer Organisations  have been formed for organized livelihoods. A total of 22,292 Custom Hiring Centers/Tool banks of agricultural implements have been established, out of which 2629 CHCs have been formed in the current year.
A total of 1,78,328 small enterprises have been facilitated for SHG members or their family members under the Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme , a sub-scheme of DAY-NRLM. 22783 enterprises were formed in the current year.
Major events held during the year
- DAY-NRLM National Awards are intended to provide public recognition to the outstanding performance of the community institutions- Self-Help Groups and Village Organizations promoted under DAY-NRLM.
- Through an online platform, the Prime Minister interacted with the SHG members of DAY-NRLM on the 12th of August’21 to know about the work being done by them. The event was also utilized for supporting the work of SHGs by releasing funds to the SHGs members. A compendium of 75 inspirational success stories by SHG women was also released by the Prime Minister.
In addition, the Prime Minister also released funds to the SHGs under DAY-NRLM:
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- Release of 25 Cr to 7,500 SHG members under PMFME
- Release of first instalment of Rs. 4.13 Crore to 75 FPOs
- Release of Rs.1,625 Cr of Capitalization support to 4.07 Lakh SHGs in 30 states and UTs
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana  RSETI:
A total of 39.17 lakh candidates have been trained under RSETIs in 64 courses [59 National Skill Qualification Framework  aligned and 5 MoRD approved] and 27.34 lakh candidates settled in either self-employment or wage employment till November, 2021. Around 3.06 lakh candidates have trained under the programme between 01.01.2021 and 30.11.2021, while 1.88 lakh candidates have been settled between the same duration. The programme is currently being implemented in 27 States and 6 UTs with 585 RSETIs sponsored by 23 leading Banks.
Building on to the schemes’ objective of training and settlement of candidates, either through self-employment or wage employment, new initiatives are introduced time and again. This allows for knowledge sharing with various schemes and paves the way for new learnings. Some of the initiatives that were introduced this year include establishing an ‘Assessment & Certification Board of RSETIs’ for independent assessment of trainees of RSETI to ensure credibility to their trainings.
DDU-GKY:
The DDU-GKY program is currently being implemented in 27 States and 4 UTs and has over 2369 Training Centres in 1891 projects, in partnership with over 877 Project Implementing Agencies conducting training across 57 sectors, and over 616 job-roles. During FY 2021-22, a total of 23,186 candidates have been trained and 22,067 candidates have been placed till 30.11.2021.
Progress since Inception under DDU GKY  – Total of 11.23 lakh candidates have been trained and 7.13 lakh placed .
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Year-wise performance of DDUGKY
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Year
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Total no. of candidates trained under DDU-GKY
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Total no. of candidates placed under DDU-GKY
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2014-15
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43,038
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21,446
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2015-16
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2,36,471
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1,09,512
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2016-17
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1,62,586
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1,47,883
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2017-18
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1,31,527
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75,787
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2018-19
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2,41,509
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1,37,251
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2019-20
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2,47,177
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1,50,214
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2020-21
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38,289
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49,563
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2021-22
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23,186
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22,067
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Total
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11,23,783
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7,13,723
75 PwD candidates from DDU-GKY & RSETI schemes were given out ‘Hunarbaaz Awards’ on the occasion of Antyodaya Diwas. The virtual event was jointly organised by MoRD and NIRD in association with State Rural Livelihood Missions  and Rural Self-employment Training Institutes. CEOs of SRLMs and Directors of RSETIs handed over the awards at the respective states to the specially-abled achievers. Some of the candidates who received the awards addressed the audience and recounted their life journey and the difference that skill training brought to their lives. Employers and training partners also shared their experiences of skilling and employing the candidates and also put forth suggestions to explore newer directions in the journey of inclusion
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana 
- 2,067 Habitations connected with all weather reoads.
- 42,305 Km road length and 788 bridges sanctioned
- 40,931 Km road length completed, despite Covid related lock-downs, as compared to 31,736 Km in the year 2020 and 38,006 in year 2019.
- 13,969 Km road length completed using new and green technologies.
Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana 
Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana  is a unique scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development wherein, for the first time, the leadership, capacity, commitment and energy of the Members of Parliament are being leveraged directly for development at the Gram Panchayat level. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana  was launched on 11 October 2014 with the aim of creating holistically developed model Gram Panchayats across the country. Primarily, the goal is to develop three Adarsh Grams by March 2019, of which one would be achieved by 2016. Thereafter, five such Adarsh Grams  will be selected and developed by 2024. These ‘Adarsh Grams’ serve as ‘nucleus of health, cleanliness, greenery and cordiality’ within the village community and, become schools of local development and governance, inspiring neighboring Gram Panchayats.
The role of Members of Parliament is that of a catalyst. They identify the Gram Panchayat to be developed into Adarsh Gram Panchayat, engage with the community, help propagate the values of the scheme, enable the initiation of start-up activities to build up the right environment and facilitate the planning process. The District Collector is the nodal officer for implementing SAGY. The District collectors conduct a monthly review meeting with representatives of the participating line departments. The Members of Parliament concerned chair the review meetings. The heads of the Gram Panchayats concerned also are invited for these monthly meetings.
Achievements :
Identification of Gram Panchayats
The Members of Parliament adopted 1,011 Gram Panchayats under SAGY-II . In addition, 703 Gram Panchayats across the country were identified under Phase-I of SAGY. Further, 502 Gram Panchayats have been taken up under the Phase-II and 305 Gram Panchayats under Phase-III for development under SAGY as on 29 December 2020.
Phase-wise status of identification of GPs under SAGY, based on information available on the SAGY portal  as on 29 December 2021
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Sl
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Year
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No. of SAGY GPs
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1
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Phase - I 
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703
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2
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Phase - II 
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502
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3
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Phase - III 
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305
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4
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Phase - IV 
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451
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5
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Phase - V 
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250
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6
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Phase - VI 
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146
- Village Development Plan
The Gram Panchayats adopted under SAGY prepare Village Development Plans  containing prioritised time-bound activities to achieve holistic progress of the village, through convergence of resources. Under SAGY, VDPs have been prepared for 1,824 GPs and works are under progress. In order to keep track of the progress of projects listed in the VDP, a Tracking Template has been developed and the progress is monitored online. As on 29 December 2021, 54,701 projects have been completed and 6,732 projects are in progress in these Gram Panchayats.
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Sl
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Phase
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No. of SAGY GPs
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No. of GPs that uploaded VDP
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No. of GPs that updated VDP progress
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No. of projects planned
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No. of projects completed
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No. of projects in-progress
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1
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Phase-I 
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703
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689
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672
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41104
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27880
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3296
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2
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Phase-II 
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502
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431
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392
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21648
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15693
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1204
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3
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Phase-III 
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305
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245
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225
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9048
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6411
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689
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4
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Phase-IV 
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451
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295
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209
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8845
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3811
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1047
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5
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Phase-V

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249
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118
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50
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3519
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834
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338
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6
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Phase- VI

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146
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46
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11
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941
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72
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158
- Capacity Building of the Charge Officers under SAGY
Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, SAGY Division has organised capacity building programmes on SAGY in coordination with NIRD&PR through webinars for the Charge Officers and other stakeholders of SAGY GPs during 27-29 May 2021, 29-31 July, 2021 and 28-30 September 2021. A total of 440 Charge Officers have participated in this programme from various States/UTs.
- Documentation of Success Stories
The Ministry of Rural Development has documented many success stories from SAGY Gram Panchayats based on inputs shared by the respective State Governments and made them available for public access on the programme website . A few successful initiatives have also been video documented by the Division  as well as Doordarshan, Rajya Sabha TV and other broadcasters.
- SAGY awards have been conceptualised
As per the Chapter 17 of SAGY Guidelines, awards have been proposed to be given in the following categories and the criteria for the awards have been finalized:
i. Best practices
ii. Best Charge Officers
iii.Best District Collectors
iv.Best Adarsh Grams
- Creation of MP Dashboard for the Members of Parliament
A new MP Dashboard has been created for the use of Members of Parliament with information relevant to their constituency/ state. There are similar Dashboards available on saanjhi portal, for the state and district administration, for easy monitoring and evaluation.
- SAGY online module for Integrated Government Online Training 
A detailed online training module on SAGY was created and published on the Integrated Government Online Training  platform, recently launched by the Department of Personnel and Training .
- Orientation programme on SAGY for Personal Assistants / Representatives of MPs
An orientation programme on SAGY for the Personal Assistants / Representatives of Members of Parlaiment was organised at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi on 20th and 21st December, 2021. It was attended by over 100 participants.
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin 
Pradhan Mantri AwaasYojana-Gramin  is one of the flagship schemes of the Government of India launched on 20th November, 2016 which aims to provide “Housing for All” through the provision of pucca house with basic amenities to all houseless households and households living in kutcha and dilapidated house in rural areas by March 2024. As on 27.12.2021, a total of 2.15 Crore houses have been sanctioned and 1.68 Crore houses have been completed. Against the total target of completion of 44.09 lakh houses in the FY 2021-22, a total of 31 lakh houses has been completed till 27th December 2021.
Key Initiatives
The program is being implemented and monitored through end to end e-governance solution, AwaasSoft and AwaasApp. AwaasSoft provides functionalities for data entry and monitoring of multiple indicators related to implementation aspects of the scheme. These statistics include, physical progress , financial progress, status of convergence etc. Since launch of the scheme in 2016, efforts are being taken to make the software more user friendly. New modules have been added in the software for making it more accessible and maintaining transparency in the implementation of the programme.
The major initiative taken by the Ministry in the context of introducing new modules in the Awaassoft is as below:
- Landless Module - The scheme has also taken care of landless households in the permanent waitlist . The State Government must ensure provision of land to landless households on priority as they are the neediest ones. Further, to map landless beneficiaries in the PWL of PMAY-G and to capture the status of availing land or financial assistance for land purchase to the landless beneficiaries, a module on landless has been developed. The module captures the status of land provided to landless beneficiaries either financially assisted or provided land in physical.
- E-Ticketing system – A Ticketing System is developed on AwaasSoft, with an aim to resolve/quantify all issue received from States/UTs in technical/policy category whenever faced by them while implementing the scheme of PMAYG. A grievance redressal mechanism is in process of setting up at different levels of administrations such as Gram Panchayat, Block, District, and the State. Issues raised by States/UTs are to be resolved within a stipulated time frame for immediate resolution. The module is available 24X7 and all days of the week. Head of technical team and RH Division are registered on the platform to have a closer look on the issues raised by the States/UTs.
- Adhaar Based Payment System –ABPS allows Direct Benefit Transfer  to the PMAY-G beneficiary in his/ her bank account linked with the Aadhaar number of the concerned beneficiary for safe and authentic transaction.
- Convergence Module- Convergence module has been developed to monitor the status of benefit availed by PMAYG beneficiary under other Government Schemes focusing on toilet construction, LPG, Drinking water, MGNREGA employment, involvement of SHG etc.
- In addition to above, a training module on understanding the features of PMAYG, from design to execution, is also available on iGOT platform, which is an e-learning platform intended for capacity building of stakeholders of PMAY-G.
Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission 
The Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission was launched by the Prime Minister on February 21st, 2016 with an outlay of Rs. 5142.08 crores. This is a unique programme, designed to deliver catalytic interventions to rural areas on the threshold of growth. 300 Rurban clusters with thematic economic growth points, are being developed across the country under this Mission, with a funding support of up to 30% of the estimated investment for each Rurban cluster, given as Critical Gap Funding , while 70% of the funds is mobilized by the States through convergence with synergic State and Central programmes as well as private investment and institutional funding. Upon being re-classified as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, the CGF is now shared between the Centre and the State in a ratio of 60:40 for Plain area States and 90:10 for Himalayan and NE States. The following points which reflect the progress of the Mission, is being highlighted for your understanding:
Progress of the Mission at the National Level
- The Mission has progressed at a fast pace since the launch in 2016, with Rs. 2,196.85 crore of Central Share of CGF, Rs. 1,159 crore as corresponding State share of CGF and Rs. 103.60 crore of Administrative Funding, released to 28 States and 6 Union Territories over the last five financial years
- Till date, of the mandated 300 clusters, 299 clusters have been identified and approved across the country. Further, through intense engagements with the States, 291 Integrated Cluster Action Plans , which are the blue prints of investment for each cluster, have been approved for 28 States and 6 UTs
- Rs. 27,716 crore of investment has been estimated in the approved 291 ICAPs, to be met by the funds mobilized through Convergence as well as the Central and State share of CGF. The reported expenditure on works grounded till date is Rs. 15,167 crore, out of which the CGF is the tune of Rs. 2,506 crore and Rs. 12,661 crore is under Convergence
- Of the total investment proposed, nearly 79% is targeted towards saturation of Economic and Basic Amenities. Various Thematic Areas have been identified for saturation of Economic Amenities, such as Agri Services and Processing, followed by Skill development to promote Small and Medium Scale Enterprises and Tourism activities
Mission achievement and Key activities undertaken:
1. Spatial Planning:
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- Spatial planning is being carried out using remote sensing and GIS technology under SPMRM. Spatial Planning for rural areas, being new subject, requires handholding support and therefore States were asked to nominate Mentor Institute by DoRD. 33 States/UTs have nominated mentor institutes for spatial plan preparation of which Mentor Institute for 30 States have been approved and others are in process.
- Spatial Planning Platform having spatial plan preparation module has been prepared by BISAG – N under an MoU between Minsitry of Rural Development, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Bhaskaracharya National Institute of Space Application and Geo-Informatics . Spatial Planning module for preparation of Economic Plan, Social Infrastructure plan, land use plan, Disaster Management, Utility plan have been developed. On 3rd August 2021, the same was presented to the Secretary, Rural Development. Pilot study for Talabasta, Nirbhoypur and Singarayakonda Clusters is underway.
- The platform has 101 layers detailing out topographical, agro - climatic zone, environmental, socio - economic - infrastructural layers suitable to prepare plan ranging from national to cluster level and further develop plan from Cluster to Village level.Apart from creating 101 layers in the Spatial Planning platform, API integration with PMGSY, Mission Antyodaya, PMAY – G and other schemes are in progress.
- Learning management system is being developed for stakeholder training and capacity development in spatial planing, ICAP and DPR preparation, carrying out research and innovation.
- A Spatial Planning Expert committee has been approved and members consent has been undertaken. Committee involves technical institutes of repute and other Ministries working in the field.
- Spatial planning being a new subject required an in-depth study to prepare guidelines/ handbooks. A concept note on spatial plan duly approved by the competent authority has been prepared. Further, to handhold stakeholder to prepare the plan a Handbook for Spatial plan preparation of Rurban Clusters is under finalization.
2. RurbanSoft- PFMS Integration and Geo-Rurban App:Real time progress is being captured under the Mission through RurbanSoft . RurbanSoft has been integrated with PFMS to capture real time financial progress.
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- All States/UTs are targeted for onboarding PFMS Integration and as per current status, 32 States/UTs have already on-boarded payment through RurbanSoft-PFMS integration.
- Geo-Rurban App: An app for Geo-Tagging of the all the assets being constructed under the Mission has been launched in February 2020. Usage of mobile application is leading to geo-tagging of all assets created under the Mission and further helping the Ministry to monitor the physical monitoring of the assets created in the Mission, as well as ensure increased transparency.
- Dynamic ranking of Rurban clusters have been initiated on the basis of performance based indicators on RurbanSoft portal. This will enhance the spirit of competition among the States/UTs.
4. To strengthen the financial management system, fund pooling mechanism at State/UT level is being implemented to reduce parking of funds at State Nodal accounts and also the progressive clusters need not wait for Ministry level fund releases
5. Regular review and follow up with States/UTs on engagement of resource at State Project Management Unit, District Project Management Unit /Cluster Development Management Unit professionals for Mission implementation.
6. Capacity building under Rurban Mission:
- Regular trainings are organised by the Program Division for all the key officials and professionals at the State and District levels. In this year, trainings have included topics such as experience sharing and peer learning by the States/Clusters, as well as multiple trainings and hand-holding sessions/workshops for the purpose of onboarding the RurbanSoft platform, PFMS integration etc.
- Organized development of clusters by rural community and efficient handholding of these clusters by Rurban functionaries is a key aspiration of SPMRM. Dedicated support on spatial planning, Strengthening bottom-up institutions and need for research and innovation for Rurban are amongst the principle learning from NITI Aayog`s evaluation. Specifically, the need for Capacity Building revolves around spatial planning as well as comprehensive aspects pertaining to Rurban Mission to all stakeholders, from bottom-up.
- A Knowledge Platform and collaborative ecosystem development for providing clusters stakeholders with capacity building, leadership development and technical support is planned through setting up a dedicated Rurban specific Centre at NIRD&PR, Delhi. The platform will ensure that the support and guidance to Clusters is provided through virtual and in-person interface in the appropriate regional language. Further, this platform shall also provide a regular platform for citizens of the Clusters to participate in the Mission’s implementation through community feedback on various services and initiatives.
DISHA
Achievements of the calendar year 2021 are as under :
- Constitution of DISHA Committees:- DISHA Committees have been constituted in 13 more Districts under the Chairmanship of Member of Parliament representing to ensure expeditious development of all the sectors with enhanced community participation and accountability. Thus, DISHA Committees have now been constituted in 711 Districts.
- Meetings of DISHA Committee: DISHA Committee is mandated to monitor the implementation of the Central Government programmes in accordance with prescribed procedures and guidelines and promote synergy and convergence for greater impact through its quarterly meetings convened for the purpose. In the year 2021, 626 DISHA meetings have been held under the Chairpmanship of Members of Parliament.
- Formation of DISHA Monitoring Cell: To ensure effective, time-bound and result-oriented work of the DISHA Committees, Monitoring Cell at National Level has been formed to coordinate with State Nodal officers for regular conduct of DISHA meetings and follow up of action items decided in the DISHA meetings.
- Amendment Modification in Guidelines for Nomination of Members of Parliament in State Level DISHA Committee: To make State Level DISHA Committee more representative, Para 3 of State Level DISHA Committee Guidelines modified in consultation with Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and 200 Members of Parliament have been nominated to the State Level DISHA Committees.
- State Level Meeting Reporting Module: To support the operations of DISHA Committee, facilitate structured and effective meetings, a web portal called ‘Meeting Reporting Module’  has been developed for State Level DISHA meeting. It has salient features such as Notice Board, Proceedings of Meeting and Summary for state and district level meetings which contains schedules meeting date, time, venue, and agenda, meeting notices and minutes and assign action points.
- Social Media Platform for fast Communication: A ‘State DISHA Committee meeting’ Social Media group is created for quick dissemination of important communication from Ministry of Rural Development and capturing the DISHA State Committee meeting information held in States. Similarly 31 State-wise Social Media groups also created to exchange the important communication between districts and MoRD.
- Enhancement in User Experience in DISHA Dashboard: The DISHA dashboard has been developed to create a data-based government solution for planning, monitoring and evaluating various parameters of various schemes under DISHA. DISHA application is envisaged as a single source of information regarding schemes being run by various ministries from different levels to the Gram Panchayat level. To enhance the user experience, recently following activities completed towards facelift of DISHA Dashboard:
- Landing page developed to improve User Interface containing DISHA introduction, 12 schemes outcome trends, DISHA Meeting reports, Chairman details, Guidelines, Photo-gallery, Circulars and Links of all available schemes on dashboard
- Dashboard summary page redesigned completely with new parameters
- Improved visualization of scheme’s widgets, added new analytical charts, uniformity/consistency across pages, colour theme enhanced, added sliding navigation panel, heat map, more descriptive titles and labels, increased granularity, added AC/PC view, optimization of Dashboard Application to improve the speed.
International Co-operation
A. Training
- Online Training on “Agricultural Engineering Technologies for Enhancing Productivity and Profitability in Agriculture Sector”, ICAR-Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering , Bhopal, India, 06 -17 December, 2021
- Invitation for Talkshow and Seminar virtually held by Indonesia on Thursday, 18th November, 2021
- AARDO-KOICA joint online Training on "Sustainable Rural Development", 27 September-8 October, 2021
- AARDO-BARD International Online Training Workshop on "Achieving Sustainable Development Goals : Financial Inclusion and Rural Transformation", Bangladesh academy for Rural Development , Bangladesh, 03-12 August, 2021.
- AARDO-FERO Online Training Programme on “Sustainable Practices for Smart Agriculture and Livelihood in African-Asian Countries”, 25-29 October 2021, R.O. Korea
- International Online Training Programme on “Green Innovation in Agriculture and Rural Development”, Rural Development Academy , Bogura, Bangladesh, 21-30 September 2021
- Online International Training Programme on "Advanced Techniques ion Fishing and Fish Processing" in ICAR-CIFT, Kochi, India on 31 August-09 September, 2021
- Online International Training Programme on "Value Chain Management in Fisheries" in ICAR-CIFT, Kochi, India on 13-16 September, 2021
- Invitation of nominees for the Online 148th Regular Session on “Agricultural development and Policy”, scheduled to be hosted by the International Centre for Land Policy Studies and Training , Taiwan, R.O. China, during 17 September - 10 December 2021
- International Online Training Workshop on “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals : Financial Inclusion and Rural Transformation”, BARD, Cumilla, Bangladesh, 03-12 August, 2021
- AARDO-MARDI Joint Online programme during July-August 2021, MARDI, Malaysia
- AARDO International Online Training Programme on "Climate change-Implications and Adaptation" AHKNRD, Islamabad, Pakistan, 31 May to 04 June, 2021
- Online International Training Programme on “A Panorama of Affordable Innovative, Technologies and Solutions for Rural Development" at IIT Madras , India on 22 March - 01 April, 2021
- International Online Training Programme on “Recent Advances in Agricultural Surveys: Remote Sensing and GIS Applications”, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute , New Delhi, India, 16-26 March, 2021
- Online Internation Training Programme on "Natural Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation", National Institute of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj , Hyderabad, India, 15-24 February, 2021
B. Meeting/Conference
- Meeting of Dr. Manoj Nardeosingh, Secretary General, AARDO with Minister  on 25th October, 2021 at 12.30 P.M. at Krishi Bhawan
- 77th Session of Liaison Committee  of AARDO was held on Thursday, 07th October, 2021 at 07th October, 2021.
- Seventy Second  Session of Executive Committee  of AARDO was held on 24-25 November, 2021.
- Seventy Third  Session of Executive Committee  of AARDO was held on 06-07 December, 2021.
- 20th General Session of AARDO Conference was held on 08-09 December, 2021.
- Seventy Fourth  Session of Executive Committee  of AARDO was held on 10 December, 2021.
C. MoU
- This Ministry had provided additional contribution of USD 6,00,000  for the triennium 2009-2011 and the same has been extended for the triennium 2012-2014 and 2015–2017. Additional contribution for the triennium 2021-23 has been signed on 03 December, 2021. Under this programme, five fully funded slots of PGDRDM course of one year in NIRD and eight fully funded training programmes. India has conferred Ambassador Status to Secretary General, AARDO.
D. Membership Contribution
- Payment of Rs. 1, 00, 00,000/- equivalent to US $ 1,34,862 at the exchange rate of US$ 1 = INR 74.15 , to the African-Asian Rural Development Organization , Chanakyapuri, New Delhi on account of 1st Installment of India’s annual membership contribution for the calendar year 2021.
- Payment of Rs. 68,00,000/- to the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific , Dhaka, Bangladesh on account of 1st Installment of India’s annual membership contribution for the calendar year 2021.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 
Mandate
The mandate of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Objectives
The objectives of the Scheme are:
- Providing at least one hundred days of unskilled manual work in a financial year to every household in rural areas as per demand resulting in creation of productive assets of prescribed quality and durability;
- Strengthening the livelihood resource base of the poor;
- Proactively ensuring social inclusion and
- Strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions 
Employment Generated: In the current financial year 2021-22 , following significant achievements have been made under the Scheme:
- A total of 276.19 crore person-days have been generated.
- A total number of 6.53 crore households covering 9.39 crore individuals have been availed employment under the Scheme.
- The percentage of participation of SCs out of total person-days generated is 19.59 %.
- The percentage of participation of STs out of total person-days generated is 18.08 %.
- The percentage of participation of women out of total person-days generated is 54.25 %.
Achievements under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA:
- Geo-tagging of the Assets: GeoMGNREGA Phase-I was rolled out on 1st September 2016 for geo-tagging of all completed works which started before 1st November, 2017, under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. GeoMGNREGA Phase-II was rolled out on 01.11.2017 and under this phase, the geo-tagging of assets is carried out in three stages viz: before initiation of work, during the work and after completion of work. More than 4.82 crore assets have been geo-tagged  and made available in the public domain.
- Direct Benefit Transfer —Under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, 99% wage seekers are receiving their wage directly into their bank accounts. It is a big step towards transparency.
- Aadhaar based payment: 11.59 crore Aadhaar seeded in Management Information System  which is 76% of total Active workers . A total of 6.55 crore workers have been linked to Aadhaar Based Payment System.
- Skill Development: The project “UNNATI” intends to upgrade the skill-base of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS workers, and thereby improve their livelihoods, so that they can move from the current partial employment to full employment. This project was launched in the FY 2019-20 and aims to enhance the skill base of 2 lakh Mahatma Gandhi NREGA beneficiaries in three years i.e., FY 2019-20, FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22. So far, about 12,561 candidates have been trained.
- Cluster Facilitation Project  has been rolled out in 300 blocks of the country, from 1st April 2020. It aims to ensure effective implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA for accelerated Development in 250 blocks of 117 aspirational districts and 50 blocks of other backward regions through better planning, monitoring and coordination by providing thematic experts in various domains at National, State, District and Block level. So, in 17 States/UTs, it is in operational.
- GIS based Planning of GPs: The Ministry has initiated an integrated holistic planning of the Gram Panchayats based on watershed development principles  using Geographical information system . So far, plans for 2.33 lakh GPs have been designed in a saturation mode for three-years planning.
New convergence initiatives under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA:
- MoRD has issued guidelines for promoting Nutri-Garden for individual beneficiaries and community in convergence with State Schemes and NRLM,
- Promotion of fodder farms in convergence with Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying .
- Promotion of horticulture in convergence with Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare.
- Promotion of medicinal plantation in convergence with National Medicinal Plantation Board, Ministry of Ayush.
- Construction of Gram Panchayat building in a mission mode in convergence with Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
- Up to 230 person-days for construction of community sanitary complexes  in convergence with Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation  – Phase – II).
- A Joint Advisory on convergence for providing Rural road connectivity to Border Areas with Border Road Organisation , Ministry of Defence has been issued.
New Initiatives for the implementation of the programme:
- Area Officer Monitoring App was launched by the Hon’ble Minister of Rural Development on May, 21 2021, in a bid to facilitate the authorities to record their findings online. It will also help in recording time stamped and go-coordinate tagged photograph for all the schemes of Department of Rural Development. It facilitates analysis of findings which in turn help in implementation of programme in a better manner.
- National Mobile Monitoring Software  App was launched by the Hon’ble Minister of Rural Development on May, 21 2021. NMMS App permits taking real time attendance of workers at Mahatma Gandhi NREGA worksites along with geo-tagged photograph. This app is a big step towards bringing the transparency and proper monitoring of the schemes and will help in increasing citizen oversight of the programme.
- Yuktdhara Portal: GIS based planning through online portal Yuktdhara as Developed by National Remote Sensing Center, ISRO, Department of Space.
- Climate Resilience Information System and Planning  tool for Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme was launched by the Hon’ble Minister of Rural Development on October, 13 2021. CRISP-M tool will help embed climate information in the GIS based planning and implementation of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Promotion of Moringa/Drum Stick plantation- To promote the plantation of Moringa/Drum Stick and Moringa nurseries and inter-alia livelihoods of individual beneficiary households, a Joint Advisory in convergence with DAY-NRLM has been issued.
National Social Assistance Programme 
National Social Assistance Programme  is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Ministry of Rural Development, wherein monthly financial assistance is provided to elderly, widows and disabled persons belonging to BPL families. One-time financial assistance is also provided to surviving members of a BPL family on the death of the primary breadwinner. The highlights of NSAP schemes during the year 2021 is as under:
- Digitization of Beneficiaries Data : To enhance transparency and elimination of inclusion and exclusion errors, a number of steps have been taken by the Government including digitization of beneficiaries records on NSAP portal. In a decision taken in November 2021, the States/UTs have been allowed to re-allocate beneficiaries under the three pension schemes of NSAP within the overall ceiling/cap of the States/UTs under these schemes. This decision has enabled the States/UTs to fill the gap between the State ceiling on number of beneficiaries and the number of beneficiaries digitized on NSAP portal to avail maximum benefit as Central assistance under the programme is extended in respect of latter.
- Development of SAMBAL Mobile Application: A citizen centric mobile application ‘SAMBAL’ has been developed. The application provides  Information of NSAP schemes along with State top-ups  Enrolment of new applicants, tracking of application, sanction and disbursement status.
- Release of Funds: Upto December 2021, an amount of Rs.5637.77 crore has been released to the States/UTs for implementation of NSAP schemes.
District Rural Development Agency 
Under the DRDA Administration Scheme, current financial year 2021-22 as on 31.12.2021 Rs. 83.68 crore has been released to States/UTs out of Rs. 245 crores. This is last financial year of DRDA Administration Scheme because Government has decided to discontinue District Rural Development Agency  Administration scheme with effect from 01.04.2022 and this decision has already been communicated with the suggestion to States/UTs. There are no budget provision for the next financial year